古(gǔ)is composed of two single component characters“十”(shí),it means ten, “口“(kǒu),it means mouth. Do you know why “ten+mouth=antiquity”? so our word of this week is 古 – ‘antiquity’.
Pronunciation
古 is pronounced gǔ
Meaning
古(gǔ)was first seen in Oracle bone script in Shang Dynasty, Its meaning is antiquity, ancient, or past.
The upper part is “十”(shí,ten)which means extremely many. The lower part is “口”(kǒu)which means mouth or speak.
So “古”(十+口)means a long time that has been passed down from mouth to mouth for countless generations.
Example:
古往今来(gǔ wǎng jīn lái )
Literally , from ancient to modern times, meaning‘ through the ages’.
古今中外( gǔ jīn zhōng wài )
Literally , both ancient and modern, chinese and foreign, meaning ‘ at all times and in all countries’.
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